Analysis Pages

Imagery in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

Imagery Examples in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight:

Fytte the Third

🔒 2

"Wondrous fair was the field, for the frost still lingered. The sun rose in a rack of ruddy red, and drove all the clouds from the welkin..."   (Fytte the Third)

“Rack” is an archaic word that describes clouds driven by the wind. The passage creates a visual image of the countryside on a frosty winter morning as the sun rises in a cloudless sky.

Subscribe to unlock »

"the flight of arrows..."   (Fytte the Third)

“The flight of arrows” is an example of imagery, a literary device that appeals to the senses. The visual image here suggests a large array of airborne arrows raining down on the deer.

Subscribe to unlock »

"It whirred and screeched like water at a mill..."   (Fytte the Fourth)

“It whirred and screeched like water at a mill” is a simile describing the sound of the grindstone against the metal, comparing it to the sound of a waterwheel that revolves in powering a mill; “whirred” and “screeched” are examples of imagery that appeals to the sense of hearing.

Subscribe to unlock »

"but on both sides high steep banks, and rough hunched crags with projecting stones; the shadows of the cliffs seemed to him terrible...."   (Fytte the Fourth)

The visual imagery in the passage creates a sense of foreboding and an ominous mood. The word “shadows” is rich in connotative meaning, suggesting darkness and death.

Subscribe to unlock »

Analysis Pages